neptunium
[nep-too-nee-uh m, -tyoo-]
- a transuranic element produced in nuclear reactors by the neutron bombardment of U-238: decays rapidly to plutonium and then to U-235. Symbol: Np; atomic number: 93.
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Origin of neptunium
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
neptunium
- a silvery metallic transuranic element synthesized in the production of plutonium and occurring in trace amounts in uranium ores. Symbol: Np; atomic no: 93; half-life of most stable isotope, 237 Np: 2.14 × 10 6 years; valency: 3, 4, 5, or 6; relative density: 20.25; melting pt: 639±1°C; boiling pt: 3902°C (est)
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Word Origin
C20: from Neptune ², the planet beyond Uranus, because neptunium is the element beyond uranium in the periodic table
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for neptunium
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
neptunium
(nĕp-tōō′nē-əm)- A metallic radioactive element found in trace quantities in uranium ores or synthesized; its longest-lived isotope is Np 237 with a half-life of 2.1 million years. Atomic number 93.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
neptunium
[nĕp-tōō′nē-əm]
- A silvery, radioactive metallic element of the actinide series. It occurs naturally in minute amounts in uranium ores and is produced artificially as a byproduct of plutonium production. Its longest-lived isotope is Np 237 with a half-life of 2.1 million years. Atomic number 93. See Periodic Table.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.